While utility lamps or so-called "trouble lights" are in widespread use, there are still some persistent problems with such lamps which have not had entirely satisfactory solutions. The great majority of utility lamps have hooks by which they may be hung while in use, but many situations occur in which there is no suitable support in the use environment for supporting a hook of the size provided, or for supporting any hook. If the use environment does include a suitable support for hanging the utility lamp by a hook, that support is often not close enough to the work region in need of illumination. Once a utility lamp is hung by an integral hook, its orientation is more or less fixed by the orientation of its support, and that orientation may not be the best for illuminating the desired work region. These problems often occur during maintenance or repair of automobiles and industrial equipment. Thus a need exists for a utility lamp that has improved versatility both with respect to its support in the use environment and with respect to orientation of the illumination it provides.